Mavericks have little trouble with Rockets - Rick Carlisle almost had it right. He was analyzing Caron Butler’s recent hot streak, which bubbled over in the third quarter of Monday night’s 101-91 whipping of Houston that wasn’t that close. Carlisle mentioned Butler’s attitude about the game, saying “he forgets about misses,’’ and what a healthy attitude that is for a player to have. One problem. He’d have to miss some for that mentality to kick in. READ MORE

Rookie guard Dominique Jones sent to Frisco - As the DNPs continued to mount for Dominique Jones before Monday's garbage-time appearance, it became obvious that the rookie needs to play and that there is only one place that's going to happen. Jones is Frisco bound. And he's all right with that. READ MORE

Mavs Extend Win Streak to Six, Defeat Rockets 101-91 - On a night where the Mavericks could have fallen into a trap, they took care of business by defeating the Houston Rockets 101-91 to extend their winning streak to six games. Dallas led, 60-53, at the 7:55 mark of the third quarter and used a 17-6 run over the next 4 minutes to open up an 18-point advantage (77-59) with 3:55 to go in the period. Caron Butler scored 11 of the team’s 17 points that were recorded during Dallas’ run. With the 101-91 win over Houston on Monday, the Mavericks extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 7-3 at home this season. Dallas has now scored 100-plus points in four consecutive games. READ MORE

ProjectSpurs-Don't count out Hill - The San Antonio Spurs are currently 14-2, are on top of the NBA standings, playing well, winning ball games they supposed to win, and shown veteran poise, executing and closing out games down the stretch. George_hillDespite the team's hot-start however, Spurs third year guard George Hill seems to struggle with his new role. Last season, Hill started in 43 games and played the best basketball of his young NBA career. He averaged 12.4 points, 2.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds while shooting 47.8% from the field in 78 games and finished second in the Most Improved Player Award, behind Houston Rockets' Aaron Brooks. READ MORE

National media fawning on Spurs’ fast start - One frequent complaint among many Spurs fans is that the national media rarely — if ever — acknowledges the team and its achievements over the years. After the Spurs’ surprising 14-2 start, those same pundits seem to be tripping over themselves to highlight the team’s early success. Zach Lowe of Sports Illustrated’s “The Point Forward” has some strong words of praise for Gregg Popovich’s transformation on the fly with virtually the same roster from last season. READ MORE

At 34, Duncan is still Spurs’ ‘rock’ - No single play better defined the Spurs’ championship era than the one they call “four down.” Coach Gregg Popovich would signal for it by raising four fingers, then pointing them toward the floor, unleashing a chain of events as simple as they were devastating. Tim Duncan would get the ball on the block. He would eviscerate the pitiable soul sent to guard him. The Spurs would get two points. Lather, rinse, repeat. READ MORE

The way things were supposed to be - At 12-5 now, it’s tempting to panic, especially in light of last year’s torrid start. But prudence must serve as the NBA grind is a marathon and not a sprint. Artest, McGrady, and Yao are each a year older and several miles more worn after last summer’s push into June. If keeping the veteran trio fresh for an encore foray to the Finals means a few more losses, so be it; the ultimate prize is the end goal and why this team was assembled must be kept in mind. READ MORE

Mavs’ third-quarter surge leaves Rockets in its wake - Defensive lapse helps Dallas breeze to sixth win in a row. For much of a fun but entirely misleading half, the Rockets traded baskets and the lead with Dallas. There was, however, little reason to think it could last. The memories of all those blasts of offense that have beaten the Rockets this season were still fresh and. with the shots the Mavericks were getting, it appeared that it would be just a matter of time before Dallas would take its turn. But this one was different. Instead of a stretch of missed shots leading to a defensive breakdown, the Rockets’ defense fell apart Monday night, leading to a collapse of the offense. And once the Mavericks began to roll, the Rockets offered little resistance, with Dallas cruising to a 22-point lead before winning 101-91. READ MORE

Rangers head to Winter Meetings clear on goals - Monday's signing of Yorvit Torrealba was a good start, but GM Jon Daniels and the Rangers have plenty to focus on during the upcoming Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. READ MORE

SALE EXTENDED: Get 20 percent off in the Shop - The Cyber Monday sale has been extended. Get 20 percent off your entire order, excluding gift cards, until 10:59 p.m. CT Tuesday, plus get free shipping on any order over $99. READ MORE

Juan Gone, Palmeiro make first case for Hall - Two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez and 3,000-hits club member Rafael Palmeiro, teammates with the Rangers for eight seasons, are both on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. READ MORE

Rangers fill catching void with Torrealba - The Rangers have addressed one of their biggest needs this offseason, signing catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a two-year, $6.25 million contract on Monday. Torrealba, who has spent almost his entire 10-year Major League career in the National League West, comes to the Rangers with an excellent reputation for calling games and handling a pitching staff. He spent last season with the Padres and 4 1/2 years prior to that with the Rockies. He was Colorado's starting catcher when the club went to the World Series in 2007 and again to the playoffs in '09. READ MORE

Rangers not pursuing free agent Pettitte - Andy Pettitte pitched for his hometown Astros from 2004-06, but it doesn't look like the veteran left-hander will make a return engagement with the Lone Star State's other team. The New York Daily News on Monday reported that Rangers president Nolan Ryan had reached out to Pettitte to gauge the southpaw's interest in pitching for Texas, citing a source. However, a Rangers source told MLB.com that the team has not contacted Pettitte. The only conversation that took place was when Pettitte called Ryan to congratulate him after the Rangers defeated the Yankees in the ALCS. READ MORE

Rangers reach one-year deal with Lowe - The Rangers have agreed to terms with pitcher Mark Lowe on a one-year contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing. Lowe, who was acquired from the Mariners on July 9 along with pitcher Cliff Lee, agreed to a $1.2 million contract with another $100,000 possible in incentives. Lowe made $1.15 million in 2010 while missing most of the season because of back surgery. Lowe pitched in 14 games overall, going 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA. He pitched in 11 games for the Mariners before going on the disabled list in early May because a herniated disk in his lower back that ultimately required surgery. READ MORE

Astros to keep options open at Winter Meetings - Facing payroll limitations, general manager Ed Wade and the Astros don't expect to make a big splash at next week's annual Winter Meetings, but will attempt to improve to the club. READ MORE

Bagwell's career worthy of Cooperstown entry - With his numbers and awards, Jeff Bagwell should be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. But the longtime Astros first baseman might not make it on the first try. READ MORE

Astros may look to beef up offense at Meetings - The Astros were one of baseball's most active teams at the Winter Meetings last year, making a trade to acquire pitcher Matt Lindstrom and signing free-agent pitcher Brandon Lyon and third baseman Pedro Feliz in the span of a few hours. Things figure to be much quieter this time for the Astros, who have already addressed one of their needs by trading for infielder Clint Barmes and are facing payroll limitations this winter. Still, president of baseball operations Tal Smith and general manager Ed Wade and the rest of the front office will head to next week's Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., with hopes of improving the team. READ MORE

Dallas Cowboys Injury Report - # RB Marion Barber (calf) – Barber strained his calf in the second half of the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Saints and did not practice Monday. Interim head coach Jason Garrett listed Barber as “day-to-day” and said the starting running back would be evaluated throughout the week. Felix Jones has been the primary rusher in recent weeks, and third-stringer Tashard Choice would have a larger workload if Barber is limited or can’t play this Sunday against the Colts. # LB Keith Brooking (foot) – The starting inside linebacker was not on the field for the open portion of Monday’s practice. The Cowboys were not required to release an official injury report, but Brooking reportedly rested a sore foot. The fact that he played the entire game against the Saints is an encouraging sign as the Cowboys get ready for the Colts this week. READ MORE

Plenty at stake as Cowboys turn to evaluating players, coaches - One tired line of questioning has been retired. Asking the Cowboys why they traditionally lose ground after Thanksgiving, probing to find how the ghosts of Decembers past still haunt them no longer seems appropriate. When you never get started, does it really matter how you finish? Actually, it does. These Cowboys won't ruin their playoff chances with a bad December. A team doesn't enter the final full month of the season at 3-8 with playoff aspirations unless it happens to reside in the NFC West. READ MORE

Tony Romo will play again as soon as he is healthy - Tony Romo was throwing balls before practice Monday, which raised questions: Will he or won't he? Romo, who broke his collarbone against the Giants on Oct. 25, has said he wants to play again this season. But with the Cowboys out of the playoff picture at 3-8, some may think there's no reason to risk further injury to the starting quarterback. READ MORE

Marion Barber likely out for matchup against Colts - Cowboys running back Marion Barber is likely to miss Sunday's game against Indianapolis with a strained calf muscle. READ MORE

Texans will have to roll with punches - "Just before the ball was snapped, Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan looked toward the Texans' sideline and yelled, "Watch this." And then he attempted to take Andre Johnson's head off. This part of the story was relayed by people who were there, and it's the part that could get lost after Johnson reacted by ripping off Finnegan's helmet and unleashing a frightening flurry of punches. Those punches will play well on television, so welcome to 24 hours of ESPN programming. READ MORE

Titans' Cortland Finnegan gets in fight with Texans' Andre Johnson - "Cortland Finnegan got under the skin of another receiver Sunday, but he paid for it with a couple of punches to the side of his head and an ejection. The cornerback's brawl with Texans star Andre Johnson was the ugliest scene of an ugly day for the Titans, who suffered their fourth straight defeat with a 20-0 loss at Reliant Stadium. The incident reignited accusations that the Titans are a dirty team and Finnegan is a dirty player. The NFL warned the fifth-year pro to tone down his post-whistle behavior after he was fined for personal fouls in three straight games early this season. "From what I know, every receiver in the league hates Finnegan, I guess because he's a little guy who doesn't get bullied." READ MORE

Some fight left in 'em - "Christmas came early for the Texans at Reliant Stadium on Sunday. They got just what they needed against the Tennessee Titans — a rookie quarterback drafted in the sixth round, making his first start and his second NFL appearance. The Texans limited Rusty Smith to 138 yards passing. More important, they smothered running back Chris Johnson, who carried seven times for a career-low 5 yards. No wonder the Texans (5-6) won 20-0 for their first shutout since 2004 and broke their four-game losing streak. Now they have to prepare for Thursday's nationally televised game at Philadelphia (7-3). READ MORE

Titans a dirty team? Winston says yes - "After the Texans' 20-0 victory over Tennessee, offensive tackle Eric Winston called Tennessee a dirty team and said he would not have Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan on his team. Finnegan and receiver Andre Johnson were ejected in the fourth quarter for fighting. The Texans were leading by 17 when Finnegan and Johnson ripped each other's helmets off. Johnson landed a couple of punches before they were separated. "I'm glad he's not on our team," Winston said about Finnegan. "I think he hurts his team sometimes." Winston was asked if he thinks the Titans are a dirty team? "Absolutely," he said. "You can't back down from them or it'll set a bad precedent. READ MORE

Quin picks right time to shine - "Finally, Glover Quin got to hold his head high and crack a disarming smile in a post-game locker room. Finally, the Texans' shell-shocked cornerback would be the mighty Quin, a Texans titan in a 20-0 bludgeoning of Tennessee's Titans. "When it rains," Quin said, "it pours." Does it ever, both for bad and for good. Quin found himself front and center in Texans' last two improbable, excruciating losses, giving up winning touchdowns to Jacksonville and the New York Jets, leaving him to disconsolately face some very harsh music. None of which was worse than when he stared at himself in the mirror. READ MORE

TCU's choice to join Big East is a no-brainer - A recent ESPN.com survey indicated that if anything bad should happen to Auburn or Oregon this week, only the states of Alabama and Louisiana would be opposed to TCU playing in the national title game. Moving to the Big East won't necessarily swing those states, too, but it sure couldn't hurt. READ MORE

TCU assistant coach a finalist for Broyles Award - TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas is among the finalists for the Broyles Award as best assistant coach. READ MORE

Brittney Griner posts fourth career triple-double in 106-41 rout of SE Louisiana - Brittney Griner stayed in the game long enough for second-ranked Baylor to get one more rebound. That's all she needed for her fourth career triple-double, though she didn't realize she was that close. READ MORE

Football: McCarney's deal raises bar for UNT coaches - Dan McCarney and North Texas have agreed to the basic parameters of a five-year contract that will pay the school’s new head football coach close to $500,000 per year, multiple sources close to the situation said Monday. Incentives in the deal could add to McCarney’s total compensation. READ MORE

UNT PG Williams out for season - North Texas head coach Johnny Jones loves his team’s record heading into what has been an entertaining series against cross-town rival UT-Arlington tonight. He just isn’t as fond of the way the Mean Green is playing. READ MORE

SMU's bowl possibilities near and far - The worst-kept secret on the Hilltop last season was where SMU was going bowling. After 25 years, the Mustangs ended their bowl drought in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, a homecoming of sorts for SMU coach June Jones, the former Hawaii coach. READ MORE

No bowl for Texas, Mack Brown has decisions to make - Just like other college football fans, Mack Brown can kick back, turn on the television and spend the next several weeks channel surfing between bowl games. READ MORE

Aggies' Miller and Gray named Big 12 Players of the Week - Following A&M's sixth consecutive victory -- a 24-17 defeat of Texas in Austin -- the accolades began pouring in. READ MORE

Stars have earned their division lead in Pacific Division - There are a couple of things good teams do in the NHL – they win on the road, and they put together winning streaks. Those were two things that escaped the Stars last season. They finished 14-20-7 on the road, and they were the only team in the league to not win three games in a row. It's no wonder they missed the playoffs. The fact that they missed by only seven points is actually quite amazing. READ MORE